Syllable analysis method

The syllable analytical method according to Röber (2009) differs from other methods of written language acquisition in that it does not focus on letters and their relationships to individual sounds , but rather syllables are central. Firstly, they reflect structures by means of which the orthography as a system can be discovered (see Maas (1992: Chapters 21-25)) and, secondly, the access to writing via syllables suits the perception categories of children when they start school (cf. . Röber (2009: 12-13)).

The otherwise customary orientation towards letters and their relationships to segments, which are called sounds, is seen in the syllable analysis method and other linguistically based approaches to written language acquisition as a wrong path based on the false assumption that written language represents spoken language. ¹ Accordingly, the prompt "Write as you speak!" Often heard in early lessons does not help children any further. Röber (2009: 5-9) rather makes it clear that this request presupposes a knowledge of the scriptures that the children still have to build up, that is, children can only learn what they have to “hear” by dealing with scriptures (cf. Phonological Awareness ).

The systematic presentation of the script in "word houses" is intended to help build up this knowledge of script. The "house" itself stands for the stressed syllable, the "garage" for the reduction syllable, so trochies are written. ² The first “room” stands for the beginning margin, the second for the rhyme of the syllable (cf. Röber (2009: 155)). Maas (1992 and 2006) also differentiates between four word forms, which result from the openness or closeness of the stressed syllable and the loose or fixed connection of the nucleus of the stressed syllable to the subsequent consonant. ³ Röber (2009) recommends the following progression to develop these word forms and the associated orthographic regularities:

Working out the word forms

Open stressed syllable with loose connection

(see Röber (2009: 158))

By entering words of this word shape into the picture of the house, the children learn that the second “room” always has vowel letters “living” in the first consonant letter. This will teach them to differentiate between these two groups. You can also see that in the second “room” of the garage (the reduction syllable) there is always the vowel letter <e> (spelling of the reduction vowel Schwa ), which forms the rhyme of the reduction syllable with the sonorant letters <l>, <n> or <r> can (e.g. <fable, sword, feather, act, parents>) (see Röber (2009: 158)). The children practice reading according to the syllable analysis method in three steps (see Röber (2009: 158)):

1. Separate the reduction syllable without articulating it, otherwise it would lead to a distorted “stretch reading”
2. Reading the rhyme of the stressed syllable (corresponds to the second room of the house)
3. Read the entire word with the correct emphasis on the syllables

The separation of the reducing syllable follows the orthographic rule that this syllable almost always begins with the consonant letter before <e>. This approach can be introduced to the children in a playful way through the image of a cowboy approaching words from the right in order to capture them with his lasso (cf. Röber (2009: 159)). This is followed by exercises in reading and writing other trochaic <hats> words, e.g. B. on complex initial margins, on the occurrence of the stretching h and on diphthong spelling (see Röber (2009: 160-161)).

Closed stressed syllable with a fixed connection

(see Röber (2009: 162))

This word shape has the peculiarity that consonant letters “live” in the second room of the house. This also changes the quality of the vowel of the stressed syllable. Since the changed vowel quality is not reflected in its own vowel letters, the vowel letters in the house pictures of the type <hats> and the type <hip> are marked in different colors for better illustration (see Röber (2009: 162)).

When reading - as with words of the type <hats> - the procedure is that the reduction syllable is separated first. Then the rhyme of the stressed syllable is articulated as a unit before the whole word is read (cf. Röber (2009: 163)).

Open stressed syllable with a fixed connection

(see Röber (2009: 163))

By comparing words such as <pray>, <besten> and <Betten> or <Ofen>, <Osten> and <open>, the children recognize that when sharpening words (e.g. <Betten> and <open>) ) - as with words of the type <hip> - the vowel of the stressed syllable is immediately followed by a consonant. The peculiarity here, however, is that "[d] the consonant for the fixed connection [...] is not part of the same syllable, but [...] [forms] the starting edge of the reduction syllable" (Röber (2009: 163)). ⁴ sharpening words are therefore not syllabable. This is reflected orthographically in the doubling of the consonant letter. The fixed connection of the two syllables is symbolized didactically by the fact that the “garage” moves into the “house”. One consonant letter can be entered in the second “room” of the “house” in order to clarify the parallel to words of the type <hip> (permanent connection); however, the double consonant letter can also be placed in the first "room" of the garage. In this way, this representation differs from other representations that have adopted the image of the house, but which use the same consonant letters in the spelling of the two syllables. This creates the impression of a closed stressed syllable. The children then usually read the word syllabated with two consonants or a stretched consonant, i.e. articulate an artificial word that no longer has the typical characteristic of sharpening words.

Closed stressed syllable with loose connection

(see Röber (2009: 165))

With words of the type <chicken> the children should recognize that the vowel sounds like the type <hats> and that the second "room" of the house is actually occupied. Since a consonant still follows in the end of the syllable, but the vowel quality does not change, the letter that symbolizes the end of the syllable must be notated differently than with the <hip> type. For this, children have found various possible solutions, e.g. B. by inserting a “broom closet”, a “cellar”, a “loft extension” or a “balcony” as the location for this consonant letter (cf. Röber (2009: 166)).

Once these four word forms have been worked out, other aspects of the orthography are in the foreground, e.g. B. the morphological constant writing (see Röber (2009: 168)). Bredel (2010, here based on Bredel / Fuhrhop / Noack (2011: 109-12)) shows how, based on the house model, the morphological structure can be observed from the outset, in that the first “room” of the “garage” is exactly the same is colored like the "house". This makes it clear that the "house" together with the first "room" of the "garage" corresponds to the root of the word, which is particularly noticeable with verbs, e.g. B. with <leg>: The separation between "house" and "garage" occurs at the syllable border (<le> plus <gen>), the separation between stem and ending occurs after <leg>, i.e. after the first "room" the garage (see Bredel / Fuhrhop / Noack (2011: 110)). To clarify the morphological structure, Bredel / Fuhrhop / Noack also recommend kinking the garage after the first “room” (what they call the “trick with the kink” (2011: 111)).

Syllable analysis method ≠ Syllable method

The syllable analysis method is sometimes confused with the so-called "syllable method", which is used in the ABC of Animals primer from Mildenberger Verlag, since this primer has taken over the visualization of word forms with the help of "house" and "garage". However, the “syllable method” is based on the syllable analysis method and does not implement it consistently. This is z. For example, it is clear that the first of the words introduced there (<Mimi>, <Mio>, <Momo>, <Mia> and <Oma>) have an unstressed full syllable ("normal syllable") in addition to the stressed syllable, which is used for the German is atypical (cf. Maas (2006: 124)) ⁵ , while the syllable analysis method relies on the typical German contrast between stressed (full) syllables and reducing syllables (cf. Röber (2009: 158)). The early appearing words <Mimi> ( ABC of the animals , p. 4) and <Mama> ( ABC of the animals , p. 8) are also sharpening words whose spelling with only one intervowel consonant letter is not representative for the spelling of German (see above for the type <Hut>). This also does not correspond to the principle of the syllable analysis method, according to which the writing is to be presented to the children in a targeted manner in such a way that its regularities can be discovered (see Röber (2009: 152,156)). Another central difference is that in the differentiating colors of the syllables in the ABC of animals, the coloring is not consistently used to differentiate between stressed and unstressed syllables, which play a decisive role in reading, and that the double letters of the sharpening words on both Syllable spellings are distributed.

Working materials based on the syllable analysis method

Practical implementations of the syllable analysis method can be found, for example, for language support in kindergarten at Tophinke (2003), for first reading and writing lessons at Röber (2016), for reading support at Lehker (2013), for school (remedial) lessons and therapeutic learning measures at Düwel-Brünig (2013/2015) and Lehker / Düwel-Brünig (2016).

reception

The syllable analytical method is not without controversy in the didactic discussion of concepts for writing acquisition, since its linguistic-oriented representation of orthographic structures is perceived as “dry”, “restrictive” and “not appropriate for children” (cf. Fuchs / Röber-Siekmeyer (2002: 121), see also Thomé (2018, Chapter 3.1: Concepts of spelling lessons)). Fuchs and Röber-Siekmeyer (2002: 121) counter this, however, by stating that "the joy of learning [...] is largely linked to the success of learning processes and that the success of written-language learning processes through the 'structuring development' practiced in the syllable analysis method (2002 : 121) - e.g. B. supported by appropriate song material - made possible. ”Motivation is reinforced by success - if success fails, motivation dies, as is well known. There are only a few empirical comparative studies available. A study shows a great effect of the method in reading as well as in writing in the second school year compared to other methods (Rautenberg 2012), which speaks for the important automation of children's learning at an early stage. Weinhold also describes the relatively rapid development of skills in an essay (2006), but in a later essay shows that the classes compared at the end of primary school were equal (2009, but she has not yet published her study, so that a discussion of her results has not yet been possible is).

literature

• Ursula Bredel , Nanna Fuhrhop and Christina Noack: How children learn to read and write. Francke, Tübingen 2011, ISBN 978-3772084034 .
• Peter Eisenberg: Outline of the German grammar. Volume 1: The Word. Metzler, Stuttgart and Weimar 2006 (1998), ISBN 978-3476021601 .
• Johanna Fay: Syllable-based written language acquisition. In: Reddig-Korn, Birgitta and Beate Weiß (eds.): Confectionery - suggestions for teaching. Rhythmisation as a teaching principle. Neckar-Verlag, Villingen-Schwenningen, pp. 8-11.
• Mechtild Fuchs and Christa Röber-Siekmeyer: Elements of a phonologically determined concept for learning to read and write: the musical emphasis on prosodic structures. In: Röber-Siekmeyer, Christa and Doris Tophinke (eds.): Concepts of writing acquisition between linguistics and education. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag, Hohengehren 2002, ISBN 978-3896765611 , pp. 98-122.
• Utz Maas: Basics of German orthography. Tübingen, Niemeyer 1992, ISBN 978-3484311206 .
• Utz Maas: Phonology: Introduction to the functional phonetics of German. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2006, ISBN 978-3525265260 .
• Beatrice Primus: Structural basics of the German writing system. In: Ursula Bredel , Astrid Müller and Gabriele Hinney (eds.): Writing system and writing acquisition : linguistic - didactic - empirical. De Gruyter, Berlin and New York 2010, ISBN 978-3110232240 , pp. 9-45.
• Iris Rautenberg: Music and Language. A longitudinal study on the effects of musical support on the written language performance of primary school students. Schneider Verlag, Hohengehren 2012, ISBN 978-3834010629
• Christa Röber: The achievements of children in learning to read and write: Basics of the syllable analysis method. A workbook with exercises. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag, Hohengehren 2009, ISBN 978-3834006189 .
• Swantje Weinhold: Effects of didactic approaches on written language acquisition in primary school. In: Didactics German. H. 27/2009, 52-75.
• Swantje Weinhold: Developmental processes in learning to read and write depending on various didactic concepts. A longitudinal study in grades 1-4. In: Swantje Weinhold (Hrsg.): Written language acquisition empirically. Schneider Verlag, Hohengehren 2006, pp. 120–151.
• Eva Düwel-Brünig: Where does your word live? A) CD “Worksheets and Games”, B) Memo and domino game. In collaboration with Christa Röber. Based on the language didactic work of Christa Röber, Mareike Dongus, Michaela Schmidt, Monika Siebs, Karin Winkler, Ulrike Zeiser. Braunschweig [Verlag Mitternachtlicht 2013/2015]. ISBN 978-3-00040-439-9
• Marianne Lehker: Learn to read fluently with Speedy. Syllable and word carpets to build up and secure reading skills at the word level. With connection points for rule-based writing of words. Augsburg [Lernserver Institut, Verlag für Bildungsmedien 2018]. ISBN 978-3-947821-00-6
• Marianne Lehker, Eva Düwel-Brünig: The syllable analysis method in learning therapy and remedial teaching . Handout for the game and work materials "Where does your word live?" and to the "Speedy books" . Münster [Lernserver Institut, Verlag für Bildungsmedien 2016]. ISBN 978-3-940876-96-6
• Doris Tophinke: Language training in kindergarten - Julia, Elena and Fatih discover the German language together. Materials and practical instructions. Weinheim Basel Berlin [Beltz 2003]. ISBN 978-3-40756-230-2
• Christa Röber: The children from the Palope circus. How to study language and discover writing. Books for learning to read and to learn to write. Book 1: First Words and Phrases. Hohengehren [Schneider 2016]. ISBN 978-3-8340-1667-6
• Günther Thomé: German orthography: historical, systematic, didactic. 2., verbes. Edition. Oldenburg: isb-Fachverlag 2019, ISBN 978-3-94212224-5 (148 color pages, many images and tables, € 16.80, reading samples at www.isb-oldenburg.de/material.html).

Remarks

¹In their second chapter (“How does our writing work?”), Bredel, Fuhrhop and Noack (2011) illustrate in various steps from the oscillogram to the writing with the phonetic alphabet to the orthographically correct version where “the listening. . . ends "(2011: 13).

² According to Röber, based on linguistic analyzes by Maas and Eisenberg (2009: 41), this is the "meter typical of German words", since "[the] vast majority of German words [...] are two-syllable" or at least two-syllable inflected forms according to the trochaic pattern (cf. Röber (2009: 41)).

³The loose connection corresponds to a “long vowel” in the nucleus, the fixed connection to a “short vowel”. Maas prefers to work with connection correlations (“syllable cut”), since the length and shortness of the vowels are to be understood relatively: “The absolute duration of the sound depends on the speed of speech. Slowly spoken short vowels usually last longer than fast spoken long vowels; all vowels usually last longer before voiced consonants than before unvoiced ones; open vowels take longer than close ones etc. "(Maas (2006: 172))

^4thThere are different opinions as to whether the consonant is to be added to the first edge of the reducing syllable or not. Eisenberg (2006: 313) regards the consonant as ambisilbic, ie belonging to both syllables: “A double consonant graph appears whenever an ambisilbic consonant (syllable joint) occurs in the phonological word. The grapheme, which corresponds to the ambisilbic consonant phonographically, is doubled. "Röber (2009) follows the presentation by Maas ( ² 2006: 197), who writes:" These are undoubtedly simple consonants that are used as the starting edge of the second (unstressed) syllable serve. […] However, the impression of ambisyllabicity is based on something phonetically concrete: the fixed connection of the vowel to the following consonant in this case, which nonetheless articulates the beginning of the following syllable […]. ”That Röber of this view Maas 'follows, "is related to [their] observations of the children's perceptions in their word analysis" (Röber (2009: 45, footnote 16)).

⁵ Primus (2010: 19), who differentiates between "stressed full syllables, unstressed full syllables and reduction syllables", points out that in the work of Maas (1992, 2000) and Röber-Siekmeyer (1993 et ​​al.) find a "modified view" (Primus (2010: 19); however, it seems to be more a terminological difference: stressed full syllable, unstressed full syllable and reduction syllable on the one hand and stressed syllable, normal syllable and also reduction syllable on the other.